Vacuum cleaner with mop cleaning receptacle



S. F. WELLS April 29, 1941.

VACUUM CLEANER WITH MO? CLEANING RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.2, 1940 S. F. WELLS April 29, 1941.

' VACUUM CLEANER WITI i MOP CLEANING RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 2, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented'Apr. 29, 1941 UNlTE D STATE VACUUM CLEANER. WITHM01 RECEPTACLE CLEANING Sherman F. Wells, Minneapolis, Minn. ApplicationDecember 2, 1940, Serial No. 368,121-

7 Claims.

My present invention relates to vacuum clean ers and is in the nature ofa modification of or improvement on the vacuum cleaner with auxiliarymop cleaning attachment disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No.2,219,911 of date October 29, 1940.

In the present improved device the mop receptacle is in the nature of anopen pan or pocket formed as a part oi the dust-receiving bag and havingconnections whereby,under proper adjustment of valve mechanism, the dustor lint from the mop will be drawn from the mop receptacle through thefan or into the dust bag. Under other proper adjustments of the valvemechanism, the vacuum cleaner may be used in various different ways, forexample, to pick up dust or lint from the-floor and blower anddelivered' Q is a rotary cup-shaped valve-l1 that is provided with anaxial shaft or stem I! that extends to the exterior of the head of thepick-up nozzle and, in the preferred construction illustrated, is

provided with a rigidly secured arm I9. The

open end of this rotary cup-shaped valve ll registers with the eye l5 ofthe fan casing ii. The rotary or oscillatory valve I1 is provided with asingle deliver the same into the bag in the customary way.

An improved and commercial form of the present invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate likeparts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing thecomplete device;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevation with some parts brokenaway and with some parts sectioned on the line 2--2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the valve-actuating device;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the complete device, some 'parts beingbroken away and some parts being sectioned; and v Fig. 5 is a verticalsection taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

My'invention is capable of being incorporated in connection differentdesigns but, as shown, is applied to a vacuum cleaner in which the'heador body of the cleaner involves a motor casing ID, a fan casing II, anda pick-up nozzle 12, said device being adapted to ride uponwheel-equipped arms 13 shown as attached to the motor casing ill.Preferably, the elements l0,.ll and 12 will be separately made butrigidly connected.

Working within the fan casing II is a fan ll secured on a shaft l5journaled in the front wall of the motor casing l0 and connected to anddriven by the motor, not shown, but which, in the type of vacuum cleanerillustrated, is located in the motor casing it. The fan casing II, hasan axial air intake passage it.

Mounted in the head of the pick-up nozzle 12 device showing especiallythe pick-up nozzle and with vacuum cleaners of various axial air intakeport 20, see particularly Figs. 2 and 5, that normally registers with aport 21 in that portion of the head of the-pick-up nozzle thatconstltutes'aseat for the valve ii. That portion of the head of thepick-up nozzle that constitutes a seat for the valve I! has a tubularextension 22 that is normally closed by the valve but is adapted to beopened when the valve is rotated about or far enough to bring the valveport 20 into registration with said tubular extension 22 and at the sametime to close the port. that leads from the nozzle to the interior ofthe valve. l

The main receptacle or dust has proper; indicated at 23, is of the usualflexible material .that is impervious to the passage or dust, but

will permit the escape of air as is customary in a vacuum cleaners.

The fan casing I I has a tangential or peripheral discharge neck ornozzle 24 to which the bag 23- is adapted to be connected by a coupling25, preferably such as usually.employed, In its upper or extendedend-the bag}! is formed with a mop receptacle preferably a dish-likestructure or depression formed by a dished. diaphragm 26 which, at itscontracted bottom, is provided with an inset quite coarse mesh wirescreen 21. The

diaphragm'28 is preferably of quite stiff rubber but should be of somematerial that is impervious to the passage of air. so that under airpressure from within the bag there will be no escape of air through saiddiaphragm.

Within the bag 23 is a suction pipe 28, pref erably a rubber tube,having a flaring receiving end 29 that is vulcanized -or otherwiserigidly secured to the diaphragm just radially outward of the screen 21.At its delivery end the tube 28 is extended to the exterior of the bag23 and by a coupling 30 is connected to the receiving end of the tubularextension 22. shown is provided with the customry handle bar 3|, theforked end 32 of which is pivotally connected to the head or bodyportion of the vacuum cleaner, the said prongs, as shown, beingpivotally connected to the tubular extensions 22 and 24. The upper endof the bag 23 is conveniently with and is in constant communication Thevacuum cleaner hung from the upper end of the handle bar 3| by suitablemeans such as a hanger strap 33.

In this preferred arrangement, the oscillatory valve I1 is, as alreadyindicated, normally'held in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5; andthis is shown as accomplished by torsion spring 34 anchored to the headof the intake nozzle and to the valve stem Is. Said valve stem II, atits extended end, is provided with a short arm or lever 35 provided onits hub with a lock lug or shoulder 36 which, when said lever isdepressed,

will be engaged bya spring-pressed latch dog 31 pivoted at 38 to nozzle.

When lever 35 is depressed and held by latch dog 31, valve I! will bemoved so as to close the port 2| of the intake nozzle and open comthehead of the pick-up munication between valve port 20 and the tubularextension 22, thereby connecting the suction pipe 28 to the fan. Ofcourse, the open end of valve i! will always be in communication withthe eye,

it of the fan casing ll.

An ordinary dust mop is in Fig. 4 and is indicated by the character A.When the intake of the tan is connected to'the suction tube 28 and a mopis placed in the mop receptacle 26, and especially when the mop isrubbed or moved over thereof may be made within the scope of theinvention herein disclosed and claimed.

.What I claim is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a fan casing and a rotary fan therein, a pick-upnozzle having a delivery conduit leading to the intake of said fancasing, a dust-collecting bag connected to the outlet of said fancasing, a mop receptacle formed as a part of the outer wall or said bagand exposed at the exterior thereof for the insertion of a mop, a dustdelivery conduit leading from said mop receptacle to the intake of saidfan casing,

' and valve mechanism constructed and arranged,

the screen 21, not only dust but the lint from the mop will be drawninto the suction tube and from thence will be carried to themotor-driven fan and from thence blown into the bag 23. To brieflysummarize the. above operation when valve I1 is in so-called normalposition indicated in Fig. 2, dust will be picked up from the pick-upnozzle and delivered into the fan and when said valve is moved to theposition just above noted and latched in that position by the dog 31,dust will'be drawn from the mop receptacle and the mop and deliveredinto the bag. When the valve has been latched in the position last notedand is desiredtoreturn the valve to its normal position, it is onlynecessary to press upon the latch dog and thereby permit the torsionspring 34 to quickly restore the valve to its normal position firstnoted. a

set, v

In Fig. 4, the bag It is shown as provided with a.

clean-out opening normally closed by a plate or closure ll.

It is important to note that in this present embodiment of my invention,a single valve serves to form all 01' the valve opening and closingmovements necessary to convert the machine from one that picks up dustor dirt from its pick-up nozzle or from the mop receptacle. Also this isaccomplished by a valve of novel construction, the interior of which isalways o'pen to the source of partial vacuum, to wit: the motor-drivenfan or blower. i

In the device of this application the mop receptacle 28 forms a part, towit: as shown, the

upper end of the dust bag and the concave or.

in one position, to simultaneously open the delivery conduit of saidnonle and close the delivery conduit of said, mop receptacle, and inanother position, to simultaneously open the delivery conduit or saidmop receptacle and close the delivery conduit of said 1102716.,

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said dust delivery conduitfrom said mop receptacle is a tube extended therefrom through said bagand to the'exterior thereof where its connection to-the intake of saidfan casing is made.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said mop receptacle is adepressed concave diaphragm forming a part of the upper wall of said bagand provided, in its bottom, with a screen, said dust delivery conduitbeing a tube, the upper end of which is attached to the bottom oi saidmop receptacle radially outward of said screen.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a fan casing and a rotary fan therein, a pick-upnozzle having a delivery conduit leading to the intake of said fannected to the intake of said fan casing, a dustdeprexed outer surface ofthis receptacle is n01'- mally exposed for ready insertion of the mopand removal therefrom. Also, as stated, the diaphragm 26 is preferablyquite still so that it will give form to the upper end of the bag.

Also, it will be understood that while I have 11- lustrated anddescribed a preferred embodiment of the invention, that variousmodifications duit of said mop 'tii'y fan therein,

collecting be; connected to the-ilrst of said tubular extensions, a dustdelivery tube connected to the second of said tubular extensions. saidbag,

at one end, having a concave mop receptacle formed as a part of theouter wall thereof and exposed at the exterior of said beg, said dustdelivery tube, at its receiving end, being con- 'nected to the bottom ofsaid mop receptacle, and

valve mechanism constructed and arranged, in one position, tosimultaneously open the delivery conduit of said nozzle and close thedelivery conduit of said mop receptacle, and in another position, tosimultaneously open the delivery eonreoeptacle and close the delivery afan casing and a rol P ck-up nozzle having a livery conduit leading toth inta 01 n a In a vacuum cleaner,

casing, said fan casin having two like proJec-.

tions, one of which extends from the outletg-oi said run casing, and*the other of whicli- -is connected to the intake of said fan cram, adust-collecting bag connected to the first of said tubular extensions, adust delivery tube connected to the second of said tubular extensions,said bag, at one end, having a concave mop receptacle formed as a partof the outer wall thereof and exposed at the exterior oi said bag, saiddust delivery tube, at its receiving end,

being connected to the bottom of said mop receptacle, and a cup-shapedrotary valve mounted in the connection between said nozzle and intake ofsaigntlan casing with its open end in constant comm cation with said fancasin having a peripheral I said "we Just nents of said valve, in oneposition will simultaneously open the delivery conduit of said portwhich, under rotaryades the results stated, saidcup-shaped valve havin:an axially projecting stem equipped at its outer end with means foroscillating said valve, 8.

, sprin: tending to hold said valve in normal position,-and a releasablelatch for securing the said valve in its other operative position.

7. The structure defined in claim 1 in'turther combination with yieldingmeans tending to hold said valve mechanism in one oi the positionsindicated, and a releasable latch tor securing said 10 valve mechanismin the other indicated position.

SHERMAN F. WELLS,

